I don't think so. Once BMW figures out how to reclocate behind-dash components and mold a form fitting dashboard it'll be built-in. Really, for the life of me, I can't figure out why they did it this way. Yes I did read BJ's 'perfect location and presentation' posts.

There's a lot I'm willing to accept in a car if the trade off is worth it, but this wart is totally asynchronous with modern design.

BMW was already lacking in it's interior comparo's with Audi, now it looks clunky next to Mercedes and...everyone else. Watch for a mid-run interior revision.

I think the idea of putting the screen up high so that the driver does not have to look down to see it makes a certain amount of sense but in reality if you are looking at the iDrive screen you are not looking at the road regardless of where the screen is situated.

You can easily demonstrate this to yourself by holding your smart phone in your direct line of site and then looking at an object in the distance.

If you are looking at the screen you are not seeing far enough ahead to be driving safely regardless of where it is placed so it is going to be necessary to view the screen in "short bursts and constantly refocus on the road ahead. I don't think that the fact that the F30 screen is slightly higher than the one in the E90 is going to make much of a difference.

As for the aesthetics, that is a matter of taste. I personally don't think it is horrible but I think it could have been better integrated into the interior design. Would not be a deal breaker for me if I was interested in purchasing an F30.